1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to beverage dispensers of the type having a faucet and more particularly to such beverage dispensers having a body and a base for supporting the body and faucet above a support surface.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Beverage dispensers of the type having a hollow insulated body with a top that is substantially closed except for a funnel assembly with an inlet for receipt of beverage into the hollow body and a faucet at the bottom of the body for removing beverage from the body into serving decanters or serving containers such a coffee or tea cups, are well known. In the case of such dispensers used in association with coffee brewers, the dispenser is located beneath the brew basket outlet with the top of the funnel assembly adjacent the brew basket outlet for direct receipt of freshly brewed coffee through the funnel assembly with minimum loss of heat. After completion of a brew cycle, the coffee dispenser is removed from beneath the brew basket and carried to another location remote from the coffee brewer for serving by means of a handle that is pivotally mounted at the top of the body. Another substantially identical, but empty, coffee dispenser is then installed beneath the brew basket of the brewer in lieu of the one just filled, and a new brew cycle is begun. In this way relatively large quantities of coffee or other beverage may be freshly brewed, 1-3 gallons per brew cycle, or otherwise freshly added to the dispenser and then distributed to different serving locations, such as may be distributed around a large banquet hall or restaurant dining room.
Before being moved, the inlet opening of the funnel assembly is closed by a suitable closure member to prevent spillage and loss of heat through the funnel inlet opening. In the case of the one known beverage dispenser, the closure for the funnel inlet opening is carried by the handle to prevent separation of the closure member from the dispenser body and possible loss or misplacement of the closure member. In other dispensers, the closure member is not connected and can be separated from the dispenser body and lost or misplaced.
In association with non-portable dispensers of the type permanently attached to the brewer, it is known to provide a drip tray beneath the faucet. Such drip trays are generally fixed and are generally mounted in front of a counter top upon which the brewer is supported and beneath the faucet. Such permanently mounted drip trays have a sink for containing an accumulation of splashes and drips from the faucet and to drain such accumulations. The sink supports a grate through which the splashes, etc. pass formed of a plurality of parallel grate members.
These grate members are aligned with each other in a direction parallel to a direction from the front to the back of the brewer and generally have a flat or softly rounded cross-sectional profile. It is also know to arrange these grate members with generally flat or softly rounded cross-sectional profile in a direction transverse to the direction from the front to the back of the brewer. The coffee or tea cups or other decanters are rested upon these grates during operation of the faucet and any splashing that may occur that falls upon the grate, itself, is passed through the openings between the parallel grate members. Other splashing that overshoots or undershoots the grade simply falls where it fallsxe2x80x94on the floor, on the person drawing the beverage out of the dispenser through the faucet, backwards against the brewer housing or onto the counter. Other splashing occurs between servings if the serving faucet drips despite being in a xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d position, a circumstance that happens often due to the limited life cycles and high level of use of the faucet in many applications. Often such permanently affixed drip tray assemblies are elongate, rectilinear strips that collect drips from a plurality of serving stations of either single brewers or twin-brewers with two beverage faucets and a hot water faucet for tea. Such drip trays are also used with other types of beverage dispensers such as milk dispensers.
In portable dispensers, such as dispensers especially adapted to receive hot coffee beverage directly from the brewer, as described above, the inventor has observed that it is apparently unknown to provide a built-in drip tray. Know coffee dispensers have a base that does not readily permit the mounting of a drip tray assembly and are also subject to tipping in a forward direction when the handle of the faucet is pulled forward. In some instances, users will try to intentionally tip the dispenser forward in order to speed the delivery of coffee from the faucet. The base of the dispenser does not sufficiently extend beyond the body of the hollow body of the known dispenser to prevent or hinder forward tipping.
Instead of a drip tray, users generally place a cloth or sponge on the counter top, table or other support surface beneath the faucet to absorb and collect splashes and drips. However, these substitutes for a drip tray are unsanitary, unsightly, and not always available. Also, after they become saturated they not longer absorb splashes or keep dry the bottoms of cups and or serving urns that are rested upon their surface during operation of the faucet.
In accordance with the present invention a beverage dispenser and method are provided to overcome the disadvantages of known beverage dispensers.
This objective is achieved in part by provision in a portable beverage dispenser having a hollow body for retention of a beverage and a faucet mounted to the body adjacent a bottom of the body and extending outwardly from a side of the body, of a dispenser base assembly for supporting the bottom and the faucet above an underlying support surface, having means for supporting the body and faucet mounted to the body above a support surface, a drip tray assembly and means for mounting the drip tray assembly to the supporting means in a location beneath the faucet for receipt of drips of beverage from the faucet.
Preferably, the supporting means includes a pair of support base members attached to the body and extending forwardly of the body on opposite sides of the body, and the drip tray assembly spans a gap between the pair of forwardly extending support base members. Also, the pair of forwardly extending support base members extend forwardly beyond the forward extent of the faucet to increase stability, a faucet guard extends forwardly of the faucet and the pair of legs forwardly extending support members extend forwardly at least to and preferably beyond a forward most extent of the faucet guard. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, the mounting means includes means for removably mounting the drip tray assembly to the supporting means, and the mounting means includes means for releasably latching the drip tray assembly to the supporting means when in an operative position beneath the faucet.
The objective of the invention is also obtained in part by providing in a portable beverage dispenser having a hollow body for retention of a beverage and a faucet mounted to the body adjacent a bottom of the body and extending outwardly from a side of the body, with a dispenser base assembly for supporting the bottom and the faucet above a support surface having an elongate vertical member with a top connected to the body and a bottom for support by the underlying support surface, and an elongate horizontal member with one end connected to the bottom of the base and extending forwardly from the body by an amount approximately equal to one half of the depth of the body.
Preferably, the elongate horizontal member extends from one of a pair of sides of the hollow body and includes another elongate horizontal member extending from another side opposite to the one of the pair of sides of the hollow body in a direction that is generally parallel to the one elongate horizontal member. A drip tray mounted between the one and the other elongate horizontal members.
The object of the invention is also partly achieved by providing an anti-splash drip tray assembly to collect drips of beverage from a faucet of a beverage dispenser having a hollow body for retention of a beverage with a forward section to which the body is mounted, with a drip plate with upwardly extending sidewalls surrounding a plate bottom and an open top, and a grate panel covering the open top and supported above the plate bottom by the upwardly extending sidewalls and having a grate with a plurality of elongate, parallel, grate members each with a pointed peak and a pair of opposed substantially flat sides sloping downwardly away from the peak to guide beverage downwardly away from the peak for retention by the drip plate.
Moreover the objective is acquired by providing in combination with a beverage dispenser having means for storing beverage with a back and a front and a faucet mounted to the front to dispense beverage, a drip plate assembly having a drip plate with upwardly extending sidewalls surrounding a plate bottom and an open top, and a grate panel covering the open top and supported above the plate bottom by the upwardly extending sidewalls and having a grate formed of a plurality of spaced, elongate, parallel, grate members, said elongate grate members extending in a generally lateral direction that is substantially transverse to a direction from the front to the back of the dispenser to direct splashes downwardly into the drip plate.
The objective is also obtained in part by providing a portable beverage dispenser having a hollow body for retention of a beverage and a faucet mounted to the body adjacent a bottom of the body and extending outwardly from a side of the body with a dispenser base assembly for supporting the bottom and the faucet above an underlying support surface having means for supporting the body and faucet monted to the body above a support surface, a drip tray assembly a backup drip tray, and means for mounting the drip tray assembly above the backup drip tray to the supporting means in a location beneath the faucet for receipt of drips of beverage from the faucet.
Preferably, the backup drip tray is permanently attached to the supporting means, and the drip tray assembly is removably attached to the supporting means. The drip tray has a generally planer body with a concavity forming a sink for collection of drops of beverage located generally beneath the faucet. The supporting means includes a pair of support base members attached to the body and extending forwardly of the body on opposite sides of the body, and the drip tray assembly spans a gap between the pair of forwardly extending support base members. The removably mounting means includes means for mounting the drip tray assembly for sliding movement relative to the supporting means from a detached position forward of the supporting means to an operative position in which the drip tray assembly is fully engaged with the supporting means in an operative position beneath the faucet. The support base includes a pair of horizontal, general parallel support members extending forwardly from opposite sides of the body, and means for mounting the backup drip tray to the parallel support members; and means carried by the backup tray for providing underlying support for the drip tray assembly. Also, preferably, the backup drip tray has a pair of parallel rails for providing underlying support for the drip tray assembly. The backup drip tray is fixedly attached to and spans space between the horizontal, generally parallel support members located beneath the faucet.
The objective is also achieved by providing a method cleaning a beverage brewer by performing the steps of removing a removable drip tray assembly to empty and clean the drip tray assembly, catching drips from the beverage brewer with a backup drip tray while the removable drip tray assembly is removed, cleaning any drips from the backup drip tray before reinstalling the removable drip tray assembly, and replacing the removable drip tray assembly after being emptied and cleaned.
Also, achievement of the objective in part is obtained by providing in combination with a beverage dispenser having a body for storing beverage with a back and a front and a faucet mounted to the front to dispense beverage, a drip plate assembly having a drip plate with upwardly extending sidewalls surrounding a plate bottom and an open top, and a grate panel covering the open top and supported above the plate bottom by the upwardly extending sidewalls and having a grate formed of a plurality of spaced, elongate, parallel, grate members with pointed tops, said elongate grate members extending in a direction toward the dispenser body.